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C o n v e n i e n c e R e t a i l e r S h o w D a i l y M o n d a y, O c t o b e r 1 4 , 2 0 1 3 2 0 TORNADOS FROM RUIZ FOODS: NO. 1 ON THE ROLLER GRILL It began in 1964 when Fred and Louis Ruiz, a father and son team, began making frozen enchiladas selling them to local mom 'n pop stores in rural California. This is the legacy of Ruiz Foods. A legacy that has nurtured the tremendous growth and success of two No. 1 frozen food brands: El Monterey ® and Tornados ® . "Our roller grill product – Tornados – has revitalized the use of the C-store roller grill," said Rachel Cullen, President and CEO, Ruiz Food Products, Inc. "Introduced just eight years ago, Tornados are now the No. 1 roller grill item sold in convenience stores nationwide." The Tornados snack brand has not only revolutionized the placement of the roller grill in today's C-store schematic, but it has helped to propel the consumer's desire for snack foods that are "hot-to- go," snack foods that are convenient, and snack foods that are delicious. Today, Tornados are the No. 1 roller grill item with a complete line of daypart flavors perfect for breakfast, lunch, din- ner, and snacks with bold ingredients all rolled in a crispy, seasoned crust. Flavors include: Southwestern Style Chicken; Bacon, Egg and Cheese; Habanero Cream Cheese, Ranchero Steak and Cheese, Pork Chile Verde, Chicken Chipotle and Buffalo Bleu Chicken. "It's because we understand the con- sumer's desire for hot-to-go convenience combined with value and great taste," concluded Cullen. "It's reflected in our commitment to our customer and it's reflected in the fact that our Tornados snack brand remains the No. 1 selling item on the roller grill." For more information, visit booth 6121 at the 2013 NACS Show or go online to www.ruizfoodservice.com. SHAKE UP SOME VARIETY WITH COLD COW Cold Cow ® is introducing two new milk- shake varieties to its innovative product line: Peanut Butter Cup and mint choco- late chip milkshakes! These classic flavor combinations are reinvented in a bril- liantly tasty new treat. Cold Cow is also introducing a new point of sale display unit with all encom- passing equipment and accessories; cre- ating a complete shake vending station. This new unit is comprised of new vibrate eye-catching graphics and is topped off by the new LCD screen fea- ture. The LCD screen demands consumer attention with an informative and animat- ed video. The new unit is sure to get noticed and promote sales. In addition to Cold Cow's new Peanut Butter Cup and mint chocolate chip milkshakes, Cold Cow also offers the four original shake flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and cookies and cream. This line also includes two smoothies: strawberry banana and black raspberry. Cold Cow Smoothies are made from real fruit and yogurt, are low in fat, and are high in protein and probi- otics! They are made with the highest quality ingredients for a smooth, creamy, deli- cious and refreshing treat. Strawberry banana and black raspberry smoothies provide a healthier option that expands the customer base of the milkshake program and captures supplemental sales. Cold Cow milkshakes and smoothies bring a quality, value driven and conven- ience-oriented line of products to the cat- egory. Where others may lack in quality and flavor or miss the mark in prepara- tion times and complexity, Cold Cow shakes are right on target. With a prep time of 40 sec- onds or less, this shake is a perfect grab n' go item for the C-store shopper. The shakes and smoothies retail for $2.99, yielding a 46 percent profit margin. The full turnkey program comes at a cost that is significantly less than any other comparable products on the market. To find out more about Cold Cow milk- shake and smoothie products, stop by OMNI booth 6044 or Alligator Ice booth 6909 for a sample, or visit www.cold cowicecream.com. EXPAND YOUR C-STORE WITH KRISPY KRUNCHY Krispy Krunchy was started in Founder Neal Onebane's own C-stores some years ago. Some of his local friends who were C-store owners liked it, so he started sell- ing them breading and marinade and developed some graphics to go with it. As he started growing locally in Louisiana, the brand was developed. Being a C-Store man himself, he knew how important training was, so he hired a trainer and started putting her in every store opened, for a week. That was back in the 1990s. Starting in 2006, Krispy Krunchy decided to see if the "Cajun Recipe" would translate outside their core area of Louisiana and Mississippi, and, in the words of Dan Shapiro, "see if we could grow this thing." And grow they did. In 2010, 244 locations were added to the Krispy Krunchy family. In 2011, they opened 331. In 2012, 394 locations were opened. When asked how 2013 was look- ing in terms of growth, Shapiro said, "We could open 500 stores this year. We're averaging 10 store openings per week, which would put us a little over 500 this year. But we have Thanksgiving and Christmas, which are in traditionally slow growth months, so it will be close. I think we're in 31 states now. Last year we opened the Arizona and California markets. Both are doing well. This year the Metro New York market was opened, along with Connecticut and Boston. There is a lot of excitement out there about our program and what we can do for the operators. What does Krispy Krunchy attribute their growth to? The company understands the C-store oper- ator and customer very well, with the principals being operators themselves for many years. They don't say yes to every operator that wants to put a Krispy Krunchy in their location. They analyze each location con- cept is put in. They gather a lot of infor- mation on the store; demographics, trans- actions, etc. They try to only put it in locations they think will succeed. "We're not there to sell a bunch of equipment and graphics and move on to the next location," said Shapiro. "We make sure the location of the hot food case within the store is in the right place. We practice 'tough love' with the opera- tor. We show them what they need to do to maximize their food service volume and GP dollars. If they don't want to take our advice, we usually won't do our pro- gram there. We don't want them to fail and will do our best to prevent them from failing. This kind of attitude tends to give Krispy Krunchy a lot of credibil- ity with operators." What's new on the horizon for Krispy Krunchy? The big news is the Krispy's Jr. Grab n' Go program. This is designed for chains that want to have grab and go concept with minimum labor. It can also be adapted for retail accounting systems. For more information, call 318-483- 4343, e-mail dan@krispykrunchy.com, visit www.krispykrunchy.com or stop by booth 5641. INTRODUCING HAPPY SQUEEZE: GUILT-FREE SNACKS FOR KIDS, ADULTS With four unique lines and 10 total vari- eties of delicious smoothies, Happy Squeeze delivers the extended energy active kids and adults need to excel. All in a convenient, portable shelf-stable pouch. Happy Squeeze–Treat takes your favorite dessert flavors and turns them into a guilt-free treat. Caramel Apple and Chocolate Pear have 100 calories or less and a healthy 1/2 cup of pure organic fruit. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it, too? Enjoy a different healthy dessert everyday. Happy Squeeze–Super combines super healthy fruits like Acai, Pomegranate and Kiwi with Salba ® , the super chia, to create the ultimate snack for active consumers. As one of nature's most nutritious whole foods, Salba chia is high in Omega 3 vitamins, antioxidants and vitamin C. Energy boosting Happy Squeeze–Super still comes in at 90 calo- ries or less. Available flavors are Pomegrante with Blueberry and Apple, Acai with White Grape and Apple, and Kiwi with Banana and Apple. Happy Squeeze–Coco is a delicious pairing of fruit with coconut milk creat- ing a creamy, revitalizing and refreshing snack or dessert. Coconut milk is on trend because it tastes good and is very healthy, containing amazing properties like calcium, magnesium and fiber. Another guilt-free treat at 90 calories or less, with 2/3 cup of fruit in each pouch. Happy Squeeze–Coco is available in Strawberry and Orange and Mango. Happy Squeeze–Twist makes it easy for everyone to get their veggies without even knowing it! Twist combines organic fruits, veggies and super grain Salba chia into a great smoothie taste. High in antioxidants and vitamin C, Twist delivers 1/2 cup of fruit at 80 calories or less. The flavors avail- able are Strawberry with Beet and Kiwi, Blueberry with Apple and Purple Carrot, and Kale with Apple and Mango. For years, cyclists, hikers and body- builders have turned to Happy Family pouches for healthy energy boosts that last over an extended period of time, rather than crash and burn high-sugar snacks. With 10 fla- vor varieties in grab and go pouches, Happy Squeeze offers something for all your customers. Happy Family is one of the fastest growing U.S. food companies according to Inc. magazine, and one of Fast Company's Rockstars of the New Economy. Happy Family was chosen as R&D Team of the Year 2011 according to Food Processing magazine. Happy Family offers the absolute best tasting and healthiest organic products for today's consumers at affordable prices. For more information, visit www.happy- familybrands.com, call 212-374-2779 or email retailers@happyfamilybrands.com.